My last breath
by ELL514
Summary: Delilah is dying, but she has one chance, one moment, left... very dramatic kindof songfic, oneshot, character death!


'She looks so fragile…'

It was the only thing Julius could think of. He sat next to the hospital bed she was in, and held her hand. Her soft, pale hand between his fists. He kissed the hand and held it against his face, staring at the figure beneath the covers. She looked so fragile... Only her small, pale, yet beautiful face wasn't covered. But still... three wires dissappeared in her nose, and two in her mouth, that was also covered with a plastic mask.

It had been three hours since they had arrived at the hospital. Three long, painful, hard hours. Julius cursed aloud. How come that the doctors still didn't know what Dr. Dismay had injected in Delilah's arm? They had known that it wouldn't be an easy mission, but that the Doctor had some poison with him... The moment he had stung Delilah, she had fallen to the floor, lifeless. The world had stopped moving for Julius. Dr. Dismay had escaped, but he couldn't care less. The only thing that seemed important, was that Delilah didn't react. She didn't wake up... she looked so...

He didn't want to think the word. Al had brought them both to the hospital with the chopper. Now three hours ago... And in those three hours, nothing had changed in Delilah's condition. Five doctors were obsessed by her case. None of them could find out which virus was racing through her veins. If they only knew... it was just to obvious.

Scarlett came in the room, closely followed by Al. Both looked pale, shocked and exhausted. Julius looked up. "Is there any news?" he asked, though his voice betrayed that he had no hope. It was rough, harsh, and tired. Scarlett silently shook her head, whil Al walked to him and placed his hands on Julius' shoulders. "I'm so sorry, man... This hurts me to, so much..." His voice broke. Julius took a few deep breaths to fight back the tears.

Scarlett knelt beside him and took his chin, making him look at her. "Julius, you need to get some rest. It's 2 AM and you haven't slept yet."

Julius looked up, shocked that she even dared _suggesting_ that he would leave the room, and Delilah! "I'm not leaving! I need to be with her! I can't leave her... She can't leave me... She needs me... _I _need her..." He resolutely looked at Scarlett. "I. Am. Not. Leaving. This. Room."

Looking a bit hurt, the woman just smiled. "I'm not asking you that. Look, at the other side of the room is a sofa. All we are asking is, lie down and try to get some sleep, even it was only for some three hours. Try. If Delilah wakes up, you'll be useless when you're to groggy to stand on you feet."

Yes, Julius was tired, though he couldn't believe that he would get any sleep before Delilah would wake up. But yes, he was tired, even to tired to correct Scarlett when she said 'if' instead of 'when'. Off course Delilah would wake up. He couldn't picture him living without her. He'd correct her if he weren't so tired.

Scarlett smiled carefully when Julius nodded. "Come on, kitten." She helped him up and led him to the sofa. An old, grey-green, leather sofa, but good enough for a quick sleep. Al opened a closet and took out a pillow and a blanket. While Julius installed himself on the sofa, the Big Man only stood there, with his back to the other two, his face to Delilah, and tears streaming down his face. This hurted him more than anyone could ever know. He had to get out. "Get a good sleep, Julius. You're gonna need your rest, man." He quickly escaped from the room.

Scarlett tucked Julius in. "He's right, Julius... Promise me you'll do your best to get some rest. I know it will be hard, but you're going to need all the strenght you can get." When he nodded, she softly rubbed his cheek and turned to Delilah, too. She bent over and pushed a string of hair out of her face. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty..." Scarlett whispered, though she knew it wouldn't help. But still... If only Delilah opened her eyes, or gave any other sign that there still was some brain activity...

Julius fell asleep right away. But it was an unnatural sleep, feeling strong and unreal at the same time... He realised it as soon as he was awake... Was he? Was he really awake? And if he was, where was he? He decided that he wasn't, since he seemed to float in white light. He got up. Even the sofa on which he had been sleeping, looked like it was made of white light.

And then it began to fade. The light melted away and gave away some shapes. The shapes became forms and the forms turned into the hospital room, though it still shone with an unnatural light. Julius looked behind him. He was still lying on the sofa, asleep! He looked down. And yet, here he stood, fully visible, but also asleep on the sofa behind him.

"Quite a shock, uh?" A soft voice said. A voice that he would recognize out of thousands. Julius turned back to the hospital bed. She still laid there, weak and fragile. And yet, she also sat on the edge of the bed, looking strong, healthy and beautiful as ever.

"Delilah!" Julius simply yelled. He ran to her and reached his arms out to grab her. But still, he didn't dare... He was afraid that it really was a dream and that his arms would go straight through her. Being unable to touch her would be unbearable. "What is this?" He asked in a whispered voice, confused.

Delilah forced a smile and pointed at the clock on the wall. The hands of the clock had stopped moving. And suddenly, she fell in Julius' still open arms. She didn't fall right through him, but felt solid and real in his arms. Her arms slid around his waist, her face hidden on his shoulder. Julius closed his arms and held her, tears of happiness streaming down his face. "What is this?" He asked again. "Is it a dream, or are you really back?"

"It is a dream, and yet it isn't... It is real, and yet it isn't... When you wake up, you will remember it as a dream... You're asleep now, so that wouldn't mean that it's a dream... But yet, you're awake. Time has stopped, but in this dream and in the real world, so actually, there both the same, and yet they aren't..." Delilah answered whispering. Her voice was soft, but yet with a mysterious tone. But that could also be because she was talking in riddles.

"This is my last moment, Julius. You know it will be over soon. But I have so much left to tell you, I had to keep my last moment, my last breath. The next moment I exhale, I won't be there anymore..."

"But..." Julius stuttered. He had so many questions, yet he could only ask one. "How?"

Delilah pulled back a little, looking up at him with a sad smile. "Belladonna. Highly concentrated, right into my veins. A wonder that I'm not gone yet. But there was one things that kept me here, one unfinished bussiness..."

Julius kept his hands on her back, her body close to his. "What? What's important enough to extend your suffering?"

Delilah gave no answer, but laid her head back on his shoulder. "Hold on to me, love..." She whispered, "You know I can't stay long..."

A small shiver went down Julius back when he heard those words. The fact that her time was short... but above all, she had called him 'love'. "Delilah, there's something I've got to tell you."

She went on as if she hadn't heard him. "Julius, all I wanted to say is, I love you, and I'm not afraid. Not afraid to die. Not now I told you." Julius thightened his grip on her. "I love you too..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face. "But not afraid to die? Come on, Delilah, please, don't leave me..."

"Julius, I have to..." Delilah whispered back, now in tears to. "It's my destiny, my faith. I can't escape it anymore... This moment is all we have left. Can you hear me, Julius? Can you feel me in your arms? This moment is a gift. You don't know what I'm going throug now. I'm holding my last breath, safe inside myself, for this. Because all my thoughts are on you."

Julius now cried out loud. "What is this place? I should be filled with you, yet this unnatural white light tears me apart..." Delilah answered in a small voice, "That is because this is my ending... In this sweet, raptured light... It ends here tonight."

He pulled back her head, and suddenly kissed her softly on her lips. "Don't you care about dying, then? About this world you're leaving? About me?"

Suddenly, she looked pained, as if something he said, had stabbed her right in the heart. "You don't know what pain I'm going through now, to tell you this, to be with you. I just wanted to be sure that you knew my feelings before I left... But yes... This world... I'll miss the winter, when there's a world of fragile things..." Suddenly, she looked up with a hint of pleasure in her eyes. "You know, when it's winter, and snow's everywhere, look for me in the white forest, hiding in a hollow tree."

Delilah smiled, quite reassuring, at Julius, but he just blankly stared back. "Julius? Julius, I know you hear me..." She said softly. Standing on the tips of her toes, she kissed his tears away. "I know you hear me... I can taste it in your tears... But for this moment, we are safe, now and here. Because I'm holding my last breath safe inside myself. Because all my thoughts are on you. But still, we can't forget, that it ends here tonight, in this sweet, raptured light..."

Julius seemed to come back to his senses. He closed his eyes and shook his head, muttering, "Let this be over... let me wake up, and let this be a bad dream, and you wake up in the room next to mine, at the Academy, and nothing will have happened. Or let me stay here... here with you, forever! I'll even follow you in death, you know that, I love you so much..."

Delilah grabbed his chin and made him look at her again. "You know that's impossible, Julius... You can't close your eyes to disappear, or pray your dreams will leave you here... Soon, you will wake and know the truth..." she swallowed hard, it was taking her harder than she expected to say this... "No one's there... I won't be there..."

Tears were streaming down her face now. Julius gave her a kiss on her forehead and lent his face against hers, rubbing their noses together. "What can I do? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

With pain in her eys, Delilah shook her head. "It is ending... I can't take it any longer. This mometn is ending... Soon everything will be over... There are some things you could do for me... Accept my destiny... Say goodnight, and don't be afraid. You'll be calling me, calling me... but now you're the one fading to black..."

Julius noticed it to. The bright light was fading, leaving nothing but darkness. He was willing to fight it, to take Delilah back with him, but he knew he had to accept her last wish. Gently laying his hands on the back of her head, he pulled her into a deep, warm and loving kiss. She responded, letting her arms slide around his neck, pulling him closer. But they both felt the cold. It was tearing them apart, and they both backed away.

They only held hand now, but the distance between them grew wider, untill only their fingertips still touched.

"Goodnight..." Julius whispered, his voice broken.

"Always remember I love you..." Delilah whispered back, and then she let go of his hand.

A loud, ininterrupted beep tore Julius from his sleep. By the time he sat up, and realised where he was, two doctors were already standing around Delilah's bed, furiously handling the machines, pulling wires, calling for assistance. Al and Scarlett came running in, both of them ripped from a sad sleep, their eyes were red.

They looked at Delilah, and then to Julius. He just sat there, his head in his hands, crying out loud, like if he knew there wasn't any hope for her left...

holding my last breath  
safe inside myself  
are all my thoughts of you  
sweet raptured light it ends here here tonight

- My last breath, by Evanescence


End file.
